A Study In Living With Sherlock Holmes 3/22
Title: A Study Of Living With Sherlock Holmes
Disclaimer: Do not sue. I do not own any of the BBC Sherlock characters.
Genre: General, Friendship, Angst, Drama
Rating: Will venture into mature, due to adult themes of sexuality, drugs, ptsd and other subjects that will pop up.
Characters: John Watson, Sherlock Holmes, with appearances of DI Lestrade, Mrs Hudson, Mike Stamford, Molly Hooper and others.
Summary: John Watson moves into 221B Baker Street after the events of 'A Study In Pink'. He had no idea what he would be in for, living with an eccentric genius like Sherlock Holmes, but if the first twenty four hours are anything to go by, then he knows he's in for a ride.
Chapter 3 Word Count: 2,035
And this will be the last segment of Day One. Hope you enjoyed it.
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Date: January 31st, Day Number One Continued
Time: 4:15 pm.
Location: Storage
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"Ah, we're early, good." Sherlock steps out of the taxi, wrapping his coat around him. "Gives you enough time to get your storage open so the movers don't have to w--" Sherlock cuts himself off as his mobile buzzes, indicating a text.
John watches as Sherlock reads then responds back.
"Unfortunately, I cannot stay and keep you company though," Sherlock slips the phone back in his pocket. "Sorry, a matter needs to be attended to. I will of course make sure your suitcases get to the flat. I will see you later, John."
"Yeah, course," John murmurs, strangely feeling bereft moments later when Sherlock leaves in the taxi.
Everything seems.. quiet and still now.
It's like Sherlock took the noise with him. John preferred the noise. John turns and heads inside the lobby of the storage company, ignoring the bright yellow sign proclaiming the name.
"Can I help you, sir?" A woman asks as he enters.
"Ah yes, I need to get to my storage. I have a company coming to take it out."
"Right. Name please?"
"John Watson."
She nods and goes behind the counter to start typing on the keyboard. "Ah, found you. Just in time I suppose, your next payment was due in two days."
Ah well money saved. About time.
"Do you remember your space number?"
"Unfortunately no."
"Not a problem," she types some more into the computer, and then opens up a case, removing a key. "We have spare keys. Your on the first level, space number 6. Who are the movers that are coming? I'll let them know where to go."
"Allied Movers," he says quietly, and she nods. "Thanks."
"Your welcome, sir."
John nods, and heads towards his storage space. By the time he gets to it, the damn bloody limp is trying to come back in full force, so when he opens his locker and finds one container quite solid, he sits down.
The phantom ache starts to thrum, and John closes his eyes, letting the events of last night run through his mind once more. The more he remembers the running, the ache lessens.
"Come on John!"
"This way! No, this way John!"
"We're losing him!"
"Welcome to London.."
"Call us if you need anything."
"Got your breath back?"
"Ready when you are."
The ache is gone, and John opens his eyes and then notices two men standing there. How long had he been sitting there?
"Apologies. A little tired." He stands, and smiles as his leg does not buckle, the memories of last night strengthening his leg once more.
He lets the men into the storage, so they can start getting his boxes.
***********************
John gets out of the taxi, as it pulls up to 221B Baker Street, the Allied Moving truck right in front of him, and pays the driver. As he gets out he checks his wallet once more, knowing he'll have to check his account and most likely take out a little more, and hoping he can.
John uses the door knocker, hoping maybe Sherlock would be in, but when the door opens it's Mrs Hudson.
"Hello dear. Oh yes, I should get you a key. Oh I see the moving men are here. Come on inside, Doctor Watson.. Sherlock isn't with you, I see."
"No, he had something that needed to be taken care of. So he's not back yet?" John gestures upstairs as the older woman searches her pockets.
"Oh I don't think so, I haven't heard anything. But then he can be quiet at times... Anyway, here's the key," she hands him the key, and then holds the door open as the men start to haul John's boxes in.
"Where to?"
"Come on," John heads up the stairs, the key feeling warm in his palm as he holds onto it.
It's about twenty minutes before all of John's boxes are in his bedroom, along with his two suitcases. Which Mrs Hudson had to bring out of her flat. Apparently Sherlock did drop them off, but just left them at the landing, apparently his mind was too preoccupied to bring them all the way up to the flat.
Could have been worse.
He could have just left them outside where anyone could have gotten their hands on them.
As John unpacks his suitcases, setting his laptop on the large bed that dominates the room, he absently wonders what Sherlock may be doing... who he may be annoying now, where he may be racing to.. if he needs help with anything.
Suddenly his phone buzzes. A text.
John takes it out and opens it.
All settled I hope.
At the flat?
SH
It's like he knows if you're thinking about him.
John quickly responds.
Just got everything in.
And yes.
"Doctor Watson?"
John looks up after he sends it to see Mrs Hudson standing in the entrance. "Yes Mrs Hudson? And please, call me John."
"Of course. Let Sherlock know that I had the lease redrawn, as it's needed with you moving in. Both of you need to resign it.. well Sherlock needs to sign it anyway. He didn't sign the original one."
"How long had he been living here before I came?" John queries curiously. When John first saw the place, he thought what he was seeing was rubbish from prior tenants until he heard Sherlock saying he went ahead and moved in.
"Oh he hadn't moved in properly by the time he brought you around, but he had agreed to move in about.. oh four days before. Somehow he managed to move in all this things without me seeing him. He's quite good at that, being quiet and stealthy. Of course makes it difficult for me to pin him down to sign the lease," she adds with a frown, but there is fondness in her words.
John realizes then, even when she's disapproving, like when Sherlock was happy about another serial suicide, she was still fond.
"Did he tell you how we met?"
"He uh.. mentioned, well he said he ensured your husband's execution," John says quickly.
"Oh yes, he did. Good thing too, otherwise he would have been freed. Nasty business, but I'm won't hash it all out. But Sherlock's such a dear.. he's exasperating yes, and of course temperamental, but he's a genius too, and all genius's are like that I think. He just needs someone to fuss on him, even if he ignores it half the time."
Such vastly different opinions of Sherlock.
Lestrade, in John's brief acquaintance of the man, seems weary, resigned about Sherlock. Hoping that Sherlock will be a good man one day, who will eventually out grow his apparently child like temper and attitude.
Sgt Sally Donovan, hostile. Refusing to see what Lestrade see's. Thinks Sherlock will one day be a killer, thinks he's a psycho path.
Mrs Hudson... Thinking he's a dear, believing him to be worth fussing over, fond of him, even when Sherlock snapped at her last night, not caring about his eccentricities.
Angelo... grateful. Willing to go to prison for the man. Not letting Sherlock pay for the meal.
How can one man bring out such different opinions in so many people?
And here he is, another one of those people.
And John's not entirely sure what his opinion of Sherlock is yet. It keeps changing.
"Well, I'm going to make some tea, again please remind Sherlock about the lease. I'm very glad you decided to stay Doctor Watson, I mean John," Mrs Hudson smiles widely. "And I'm very sure Sherlock is too."
John just smiles, and then turns his attention back to his phone. No return message from Sherlock. He sends another one though.
Mrs Hudson had the lease redrawn. We need to sign it. Both of us.
JH.
He sends it, and then rips open one box, revealing books, and some pictures. The one on top is of Harry and Clara.
Clara.
John reminds himself to look up Clara, to talk to her. He hasn't since Harry told him they were getting a divorce. He liked Clara, the few times he spent time with her. It was a pity Harry didn't know what she was losing.
John's phone buzzes, interrupting his train of thought and he looks down at the message.
Boring.
SH.
Well, looks like this is going to be the first hurdle John is going to have to go through with his new flatmate.
It needs to be done Sherlock.
JW
He gets another response seconds later.
Not interesting. You can sign for both of us.
SH.
John lets out a short laugh, not surprised at this at all.
I can't. Not legal. It won't take long. It won't hurt.
JW.
He's arguing with a madman over texts. About signing a lease.
Don't care. Busy.
SH
John just stares at the text for a moment.
Busy with what?
JW
It's a couple minutes later when he gets a response.
Finish unpacking. Or you will never get it done.
SH
John takes the hint, he'll corner Sherlock face to face about the lease.
***********************
It's around six when Sherlock finally reappears. John had been sitting in the chair, debating about going through the channels to find something on the telly, when Sherlock's presence is heard, and then finally scene as the man does his burst like entrance. He doesn't seem to simply walk into a room, he makes an entrance.
Looking a little flushed as if he had been running, then gives John the barest of glances as he goes into the kitchen. John leans to his right to see what Sherlock may be doing and notices he puts something in the fridge, and then checks a beaker that has... red liquid in it.
He hears Sherlock mutter something, not sounding happy apparently about the color of the liquid.
"Everything all right?" John asks.
"Hmm? What, oh.. I suppose. Not going the way I expected, but perhaps it needs longer..." Sherlock comes back into the sitting room, taking a seat in another chair, checking his mobile as he does and then turns on his laptop.
"Your matter get taken care of?"
"Yes, of course. Didn't take too long. Finished unpacking?"
"Yes." John stands and then drops the lease that Mrs Hudson had him look over once he finished unpacking, in front of Sherlock. He signed it, thinking the terms were fair.
"And this is?"
"The lease."
Sherlock huffs. "Dull."
"But necessary. You had to sign leases at all the other places you lived in."
"Yes, and a waste of time as always. I read it, then I'm stuck with what is written in my head for days on end before I eventually can get rid of it."
"Well for Mrs Hudson's sake at least, read the lease and sign it."
"You're not going to let up on this are you?"
"Nope."
Sherlock scowls, and then sighs. "Very well then," he says, and of all things, sulks, literally sulks while reading the pages of the lease the that was drawn up.
A couple minutes later, it's signed and Sherlock shoves it towards him. "There, everything taken care of. All nicely legal."
"Such a shame," John says dryly, earning another smile.
End Of Day 1
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